At the completion of this year’s 37 th CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, Team Saint Lucia added two more medals to its tally to finish with a combined total of 9 medals.
The event; which started on March 28, will end on April 7, and involves Swimming, Open Water Swimming and Water Polo.
However, the swimming segment of this year’s CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, entered the final session yesterday (Tuesday, March 2).
The swimming heats began on March, 30 and ended on April, 2 (Day 4) with a closing ceremony after the Swimming Finals.
Tristan Dorvile secured Bronze in the Boys 15 to 17 category – 50m Freestyle event; while the impressive young female swimmer Fayth Jeffrey earned a Silver medal in the Girls 13 to 14 category – 100m Breast Stroke.
Team Saint Lucia finished 10th out of 27 teams at the Carifta Aquatics 2024, with 9 medals – 3 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze.
Notably, a stand-out performer and dynamic budding athlete at the event – Antoine Destang, in his debut performance at the 15-17 level, did the Butterfly double, and was second overall in his division.
A full breakdown of Team 758’s podium finishes is as follows:
Antoine Destang (15-17 boys)
100 Fly
50 Fly
200 Free
200IM
Tristan Dorville (15-17 boys)
50 Free
Fayth Jeffrey (13-14 girls)
100 Breast
100 Breast
Mikaili Charlemagne (18&O girls)
100 Fly
100 Free
Team 758 also recorded multiple national records, age group records, and a slew of personal best (PB) marks at the Betty-Kelly-Kenning Aquatic Centre in Nassau, Bahamas.
Team Saint Lucia finished fifth in the Boys 200m Freestyle Relay, and overall concluded the meet in 10 th position with a total of 112 points.
Notably, Antoine Destang placed 2nd overall in the Boys 15 to 17 age group. His Individual results: 2 gold, 2 bronze, 4 – 4 th place finishes, 1- 7 th place finish, and 1- 8 th place finish.
Antione made the finals in all 10 events that he competed, as he made his debut representation in the age group category.
On Day 1, Fayth Jeffrey secured the first Gold Medal for Saint Lucia, competing in the Girls 13 to 14 – 200 metre Breast Stroke. Fayth finished in a time of 2 :58.42 ahead of the other contenders; with Martiniquans Sayane Guivissa 3:00.19 and Ann Laure Eugene 3:01.15 copping the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Team Saint Lucia continued to shine brightly as the swimmers headed into Day 3 of the competition, with an impressive collection of medals and personal best times.
In an exhilarating final, on Monday, Antoine Destang emerged as a standout performer, clinching a Gold medal in the fiercely contested Boys 15 to 17 category in the with a time of 55.29.
In addition, he earned a Bronze medal in the demanding 200m freestyle event.
Notably, Destang alongside Tristan Dorvile, Mikaili Charlemagne, Naekeisha Louis, and Fayth Jeffrey all achieved personal best times in their respective events, underscoring their unwavering commitment to excellence.
On Day 1, Destang also captured Gold in the Boys 15 to 17 100m Butterfly; while Mikaili Charlemagne had a podium finish with a Bronze Medal in the Girls 20 and Over 100m Butterfly.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Team 758 were up to compete in the following events – Boys 15 to 17 Finals – 400m Free – Antoine Destang; 50 m Free – Mikali Charlemagne, Tristan Dorvile and Destang; Girls 13 to 14 100 Breast -Fayth Jeffrey; Boys 15 to 17 200m Back – Destang; Boys 15 to 17 200 Free Relay – Karic Charles, Ethan Hazell (captain), Dorville and Destang.
Team 758 medal winners, so far include –
Boys (15 to 17) – Destang in 100 Fly, 50 Fly, 200Free, and 200 IM; Girls (13 to 14) Jeffrey in 200 Breast; and Girls (18 &over) – Charlemagne in 100 Fly and 100 Free.
A total of 23 countries participated in the swim meet, with the home team Bahamas eager to capture its sixth straight title.
The participating federations included; Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, Aruba, Haiti, Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, Martinique, Bermuda, Saint Lucia, British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Cayman Islands, St. Martin, Curacao, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Dominica, Suriname, French Guiana, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, Turks & Caicos, Guadeloupe, and the US Virgin Islands.
At the earliest count, Bahamas were in the lead with a total of 252.50 points, ahead of second place Trinidad & Tobago with 160 pts, and Jamaica third with 136 pts.
In the medal standings, the Bahamas leads with a total of 22, including seven gold, nine silver and six bronze. Trinidad & Tobago is next with six gold, two silver and two bronze for ten, while Barbados has four gold, three silver and four bronze for 11 medals.
